Key holder



R. T. BARBER June 27, 1950/ may HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 14, 1947 Zmugntor ZaZeZyZ Zfiaz-Zer Gttorueg R. T. BARBER June 27, 1950 KEY HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1947 JNVENTOR. ZfaZeq'y Tfimjer Patented June 27, 1950 PATENT OFF C 125 135 f KEY HOLDER flta eish i .Be gi iem ajFle Applicationnctoherdl,1947;5erialgNo.1779,17?

.. sWhensa number {of -keys aremontamed ith n a;;h01d61,:it 1S1fllequemllyzdifiiGult to;Ifedglilmselect the. needed key .from=tl1e s t, esp iall in th dark. u'lhis; is. pantimla dy true in re ardztaautomobile keys, when the door ,key,or,.the,ignition 1,o

keyzmustabeqzsele te .wi hQ -the aid. o ade u light.

ulhegiobject of the .present invention is to pmride. a key. hQlder'. equipped with; means for profleeting aidesir d 1ey,..upon--.open n the clgsure 5 flap. I i

JA:iurthereobie tefsth nv ntiqms ,to

a id vi as mention d in whichme pro e ting means (may h sel t vely e aged-wi any, one

of the keys. 9

a 1 Further objectsg-of yr the ,dnvention are, to provideradevice-as ntiQned-.-wh. h.sha1 :h i;; .ple of: constn ctioneeasy to operataam of low cost to manufacture. I

- still;further object is to;proui de,.a,deviceof theechar tereabov sta ed wher in the proieetor eiementhmayrb :renla ed.w h f t iwhen ne essaryhandiatmegligible cost.

Qthenobimtsawillgappear hereinaiter.

With these objects in View, the inventiohfibm 530 sists generallyiineaabody ,portion -including a pair .of .a'sub'stantially parallel 1 alls, means 1; ,for .piv otallysmount n :ae lur y o t-keys herei e closure flannormell h ithinrsaid forming a part of'this specification and in which: t

Figure 1 iswa,iperspectiyeryiew ot a key holder embodying the invention,

Figure-2 is a-sideelevatiomof the samey-illustrated in open position, and with a portionof the near side wall broken away, t

Figure 3 is an edge view,,of;. one end 0f.j;he..device, upom an enlarged scaldand the seuerrl -eleiments spread laterally to better. illustratQthQd-Qnstruction,

;:='Eig11 re,4 as a section takemlon-the li eag {Figure 5 is a detail perspectiyeeiew 0{the,;Q]-aS-' tic element preferably used in the device, illustrating the same in the form or shape it takes when in position therein,

so has) J gigure fi is adeta il sectional View taken on the line fi fiof g u ghwiththeelements laterally snacesl e eleem so i s m i n- Fi g,u-re 7 side eleyationof a key holder prqri ediwit t ma med-te m. o ejecting means, gnre s is section on.the line 8-8 of Figure in nenenree tgeslseam,

;Figure, 9 .is a'. detail View of one end of a key holder equipped with a further modification of heie ea ien gure .lfl fis asection onthe line Ill-49 of re 'gurecilisa riewsi nilarto Figure 9 but illuseat n afh th medifi et ea Figure 12 is asection on the line 12- 12 of Eiefi l g-Beferripato the drawings [.0 indicates the body of the key holder, which maybe, but not necessarily formed of a pliable. naterial such as leather onthelike; and includes a pair of.normally substantially parallel side walls II .andlZQ The walls! I a/rid l2 arepreferably-narrow and elonset d. .en term n t in rou v po 137- [3 .van, d'; lid-A 4, respectively. The walls, interngegiiate said, rounded. ends, are connected by .abeqhnert qnt-t wr h i th d vi is flexible, may ,serye as a hinge connection between the walls.

,{llhe;-1;eys. are pivotally mounted between the walls} I Iand 'IZ as willbe described hereinafter; e. closureiiap,,ifi extends from the front edge .gf the wall ll .a'cross the corresponding edge of ,the. Wall 12 to, retain the keys; within the holder. rWhen the deyice,. is closed the flap i6 is secured in,al ay clesired n1anner, as by a snap fastener l1. {Ifhe l1 l der, ,rnay 'be designed to pivotall'y' supportithe .keys;in;pne endonly of the body, In; eierably the endsam similar as illustrated,

i rthe pos fas-w appe he Howeyer, asbpth ends ar identical in e W J y w f lii and ltrespectively t re ehena n xtend th e o which the keys' ifl are piiiot ally niounted. @As

Z3 is threaded uhrnue e h hu u .hq e jithehkeys .;20,i: .th.en outwardly r yshfihe ey ietnlflrandithennv mthe out edeep ht een l4 and. spanning the keys. The free end loop 60 24 is then threaded through the loop 23, passed n samm d t' g ree hnum o ke .ectirewi-andt l qpe ep through the eyelet l8 in the wall ll, then over the outer edge of the end I3, and looped over the selected key, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the drawings. The keys are then positioned within the holder and the flap l6 secured by the snap fastener 11.

When the flap I6 is opened the selected key so that it may be readily identified even in the dark, thereby eliminating the necessity of trying several keys in order to find the right one.

In using the device, the loop 24 is engaged.

over the key which is expected to be next used; and it is obvious that for this purpose the loop 25 may be readily shifted from one key to an: other. Sometimes it is desirable to have two keys that are to be used in succession, projected or raised from the other keys, such as the car door key and the ignition key, or the ignition and radio keys, or any other useful or needed combination. For this purpose the double ended holder as illustrated in the drawings may be found of great service.

In Figures '7 and 8 a modified form of the invention is illustrated, wherein the elastic tension member 2l is secured at one looped end 23 thereof to a shank Zlof a button 28, said shank extending through the eyelet I8 in the end l3. The member H is threaded through the holes in the keys and the eyelet l9 and then extended over the edge of the end i4 and looped over the selected key.

A further modification is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. In this form of the device the key holder is provided with the usual separable pivot members 29 having the heads 30. An endless elastic tension member 21 is looped ove one end of the pivot member 29 between one end [3 or i l of the holder and the adjacent head 30 of said pivot member, and then passed over the edge of the end of the holder and looped about the selected key.

Another modification is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, wherein one end of a looped elastic member 25 is secured to the inner face of an end E3 or I4 of the holder as by a rivet 33 or other similar device and the other end of said member is looped over the selected key. The securing member 33 is arranged adjacent the periphery of the end to which it. is secured, and above the median line 34 of the holder extend ing between the key supporting members 29'so that when the selected key is depressed within the holder to be held by the flap l6, considerable tension is exerted on the key by the member 21 I claim:

1. In a key holder for a plurality of keys having a common pivotal axis, an elastic loop attached to said holder and adapted to be engaged under tension around the shank portion of a selected key. I

2. In a key holder, a body including a pair of substantially parallel walls, means for pivotally mounting a plurality of keys between said walls on a common axis, a releasable retaining means for said keys, and an elastic loop tension member adapted to be selectively engaged with one of said keys and adapted to project the selected key beyond the remaining keys when said retaining means is released.

3. In a key holder a body including a pair of substantially parallel walls, means for pivotally mounting a plurality of keys between said walls on a common axis, a releasable retaining means for said keys, and an elastic tension member comprising a loop extending from the outside of saidbody over the edge of one of said walls to be selectively engaged over one of said keys and adapted to project the selected key beyond to which the loop 24 has been engaged will be raised or projected above the other adjacent keys.

the remaining keys when said retaining means is released.

4. In a key holder, a body including a pair of substantially parallel walls provided with aligned eyelets, and a combined pivotal means for a plurality of keys and selective ejector of one of the keys, comprising an endless elastic tension member threadable through said eyelets and the holes in the heads of the keys, one end of said tension member forming a loop extending over the end of one of said walls and about the portion extending between the eyelets, and the other end forming a loop adapted to be extended over the edge of the other wall and to be selectively engaged over one of the keys and a flap on one of said side walls and releasably attached to the other wall for normally retaining the keys in the body.

5. In a key holder an elongated body open at one side, and adapted to contain a plurality of keys at each end of said body for pivotally mounting a group of keys adjacent said ends, and each of said means terminating in a flexible tension loop to be selectively engaged over one key of the respective group, and a releasable single flap on said body adapted to span the open side thereof to retain the keys of both groups within the body.

6. In a key holder a body including a pair of parallel walls, a separable pivot pin for a plurality of keys and having retaining heads on the outer ends thereof, and a retaining flap for said keys, in combination with a looped elastic tension member having one end thereof looped over said pin between one of said walls and the adjacent retaining head, and adapted to be extended over the end of said wall and looped over one of the keys.

7. In a keyholder a body comprising a pair of substantially parallel walls, a separable pivot pin for a plurality of keys and having retaining heads on the outer ends thereof, and a retaining flap for said keys, in combination with a looped elastic tension member, means for securing said tension member to the inner face of one of said walls at a point outwardly of the axis of said'pivotpin and between the median line of the holder passing throughsaid pin and the line of the inner edge ofthe flap, the other end of said tension member being adapted to be looped over one of the keys on said pivot pin.

RALEIGH T. BARBER.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowingreferenc es are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS 

